Written Answers Tuesday 29 June 2010

Scottish Executive

Central Heating

Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful applications to its boiler scrappage scheme there were, broken down by local authority area.

Jim Mather: The number of successful applicants to the boiler scrappage scheme, broken down by local authority area, is in the following table. Please expect these figures to change, for example, if duplicate applications are found or if applicants decide not to use their vouchers.

  Only successful applications were logged by the online application system. The number of unsuccessful applications was not recorded.

  

 Local Authority
 Vouchers


 Aberdeen City
 254


 Aberdeenshire
 265


 Angus
 178


 Argyll and Bute
 79


 Clackmannanshire
 38


 Dumfries and Galloway
 148


 Dundee City
 140


 East Ayrshire
 105


 East Dunbartonshire
 131


 East Lothian
 76


 East Renfrewshire
 118


 Edinburgh, City of
 342


 Eilean Siar 
 11


 Falkirk
 127


 Fife
 329


 Glasgow City
 279


 Highland
 138


 Inverclyde
 70


 Midlothian
 62


 Moray
 110


 North Ayrshire
 138


 North Lanarkshire
 209


 Orkney Islands
 0


 Perth and Kinross
 163


 Renfrewshire
 211


 Scottish Borders
 107


 Shetland Islands
 3


 South Ayrshire
 139


 South Lanarkshire
 302


 Stirling
 84


 West Dunbartonshire
 97


 West Lothian
 150


 Total (local authority)
 4,603

Digital Technology

John Lamont (Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether funding from the Scotland Rural Development Programme can be used to fund broadband development in rural areas.

Richard Lochhead: Yes, one million euros will be allocated to deliver support for the development of broadband in rural areas. Details are being worked out with LEADER contacts who already deliver SRDP funding to Rural Communities.

Economy

Ms Wendy Alexander (Paisley North) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive for what reason it does not publish growth forecasts for the Scottish economy.

John Swinney: The Scottish Government regularly publishes its latest assessment on the future prospects for the Scottish economy within the State of the Economy publication series. This draws together existing evidence, including independent forecasts, which helps to inform the key issues likely to influence the future performance of the Scottish economy.

Economy

Ms Wendy Alexander (Paisley North) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is on target for Scotland to match UK economy growth rates by 2011.

John Swinney: The purpose of the Scottish Government is to deliver increased sustainable economic growth. Our actions, including our Budget Bill for 2010-11, our economic recovery plan, and our decision to defer further spending cuts to next year, demonstrate our commitment to supporting economic recovery and achieving our purpose. The related purpose targets, including raising Scotland’s GDP growth rate to the UK level by 2011, are milestones towards achieving this goal.

Employment

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) claimant count number and (b) claimant count unemployment rate has been in each ward of (i) Dundee City and (ii) Angus Council in the most recent month for which figures are available.

Jim Mather: Claimant Counts and rates are not yet available for the new wards as used in the 2007 Scottish parliamentary elections. However, data is available for the 2003 CAS Wards. Tables 1 and 2 contain claimant counts and rates for each ward within Dundee City and Angus councils respectively.

  Table 1: JSA Claimant Count Unemployment Number and Rate1 for Wards2 in Dundee City Council, May 2010

  

 
 Claimant Count
 Claimant Count Rate (%)


 Ardler
 142
 6.8


 Balgay
 116
 3.9


 Balgillo
 92
 2.3


 Balgowan
 176
 5.3


 Barnhill
 49
 1.7


 Baxter Park
 168
 5.3


 Bowbridge
 203
 7.1


 Brackens
 172
 5.0


 Broughty Ferry
 62
 2.1


 Camperdown
 252
 8.0


 Claverhouse
 167
 5.5


 Craigiebank
 96
 4.4


 Douglas
 267
 8.3


 East Port
 250
 7.8


 Fairmuir
 177
 6.8


 Hilltown
 232
 6.4


 Law
 237
 6.8


 Lochee East
 152
 5.9


 Lochee West
 201
 8.1


 Logie
 128
 4.2


 Longhaugh
 280
 7.9


 Ninewells
 153
 4.8


 Pitkerro
 302
 9.0


 Riverside
 58
 1.6


 Stobswell
 233
 8.1


 Strathmartine
 116
 3.9


 Tay Bridges
 172
 3.2


 West Ferry
 35
 1.3


 Whitfield
 183
 8.0


 Dundee City
 4,871
 5.4



  Source: Office for National Statistics.

  Notes:

  1. Rates for wards are calculated using the claimant count unemployment level as the numerator, and a measure of economically active residents as the denominator.

  2. 2003 CAS Wards.

  Table 2: JSA Claimant Count Unemployment Number and Rate1 for Wards2 in Angus Council, May 2010

  

 
 Claimant Count
 Claimant Count Rate (%)


 Arbirlot and Hospitalfield
 79
 3.6


 Arbroath North
 55
 2.0


 Brechin North Esk
 68
 2.9


 Brechin South Esk
 133
 7.7


 Brechin West
 52
 2.1


 Brothock
 143
 6.7


 Carnoustie Central
 56
 2.8


 Carnoustie East
 27
 1.1


 Carnoustie West
 89
 3.5


 Cliffburn
 107
 5.2


 Forfar Central
 74
 3.3


 Forfar East
 74
 3.6


 Forfar South
 78
 4.2


 Forfar West
 69
 3.5


 Harbour
 138
 6.8


 Hayshead and Lunan
 67
 3.0


 Keptie
 67
 3.1


 Kirriemuir East
 72
 3.2


 Kirriemuir West
 45
 1.9


 Letham and Friockheim
 47
 1.8


 Monifieth Central
 32
 1.7


 Monifieth West
 36
 1.5


 Montrose Central
 80
 4.0


 Montrose Ferryden
 104
 4.5


 Montrose Hillside
 54
 2.2


 Montrose West
 62
 2.7


 Sidlaw East and Ashludie
 64
 2.7


 Sidlaw West
 43
 1.6


 Westfield and Dean
 51
 1.9


 Angus
 2,066
 3.2



  Source: Office for National Statistics.

  Notes:

  1. Rates for wards are calculated using the claimant count unemployment level as the numerator, and a measure of economically active residents as the denominator.

  2. 2003 CAS Wards.

Further Education

Claire Baker (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much colleges have received in More Choices, More Chances funding in the last four years, including allocations for 2010-11, broken down by (a) year and (b) college.

Keith Brown: This year we are providing almost £600 million in resource funding for colleges, a record level of support and evidence of this administration’s continued commitment to our further education sector.

  In his strategic letter of guidance to the Scottish Funding Council earlier this year, The Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning made clear his wish to see colleges give priority to give to 16 to 24-year-olds, including those who need more choices and chances. Our ambitions for all young people are reflected in our key learning strategies, including Skills for Scotland, 16+ Learning Choices, and Curriculum for Excellence.

  Addressing the needs of the More Choices, More Chances (MCMC) group is therefore a mainstream activity for all colleges and we expect an element of the substantial resource we make available to be deployed to that end.

  We recognise, however, that MCMC is a challenging agenda. It was against this background that the Scottish Funding Council allocated some specific and additional funding for strategic improvements in targeted colleges that might inform improvement across the sector. This funding was allocated as follows overleaf.

  Table 1: Additional MCMC Allocated Funding 2007-08 to 2009-10

  

 College
 2007-08 (£000)
 2008-09 (£000)
 2009-10  (£000)


 Anniesland
 192,884
 192,884
 192,884


 Cardonald
 275,805
 275,805
 275,805


 Central
 119,765
 119,765
 119,765


 Clydebank
 217,907
 217,907
 217,907


 Glasgow Met
 198,717
 198,717
 198,717


 John Wheatley
 107,979
 107,979
 107,979


 North Glasgow
 154,780
 154,780
 154,780


 Langside
 171,192
 171,192
 171,192


 Stow
 69,909
 69,909
 69,909


 Glasgow Nautical
 76,191
 76,191
 76,191


 James Watt
 570,318
 570,318
 570,318


 Kilmarnock
 230,867
 230,867
 230,867


 Dundee
 400,092
 400,092
 400,092


 Ayr
 101,093
 101,093
 101,093


 Forth Valley
 112,500
 112,500
 112,500

Further Education

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to continue to allocate funding to colleges through More Choices, More Chances.

Keith Brown: This year we are providing almost £600 million in resource funding for colleges, a record level of support and evidence of this administration’s continued commitment to our further education sector.

  In his strategic letter of guidance to the Scottish Funding Council earlier this year, The Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning made clear his wish to see colleges give priority to give to 16 to 24-year-olds, including those who need more choices and chances. Our ambitions for all young people are reflected in our key learning strategies, including Skills for Scotland, 16+ Learning Choices, and Curriculum for Excellence.

  Addressing the needs of the More Choices, More Chances group is therefore a mainstream activity for all colleges and we expect an element of the substantial resource we make available to be deployed to that end. We have no plans to make available additional funding.

Gaelic

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the secondary schools that act as receiver schools from Gaelic-medium primary units and whether it will provide details of how many subjects are taught at each of these schools through the medium of Gaelic at (a) S1, (b) S3 and (c) Higher Grade stages.

Michael Russell: The available information on secondary schools that provide Gaelic medium education according to the 2009 pupil census and information on pupils presented for SQA examinations in Gaidhlig (Gaelic for Gaelic speakers) in 2009, is given in the following table:

  

 School Name
 Subjects taught through Gaelic1,2
 Pupils entered for Gaidhlig exams at SCQF levels 3-53
 Pupils entered for Gaidhlig exams at SCQF levels 6 & 74


 Aberdeen Grammar
 Other subjects
 No
 No


 Hazlehead Academy
 Other subjects
 Yes
 Yes


 Forfar Academy
 Only Gaelic
 No
 No


 Dunoon Grammar
 Only Gaelic
 No
 No


 Islay High
 Only Gaelic
 Yes
 No


 Oban High
 Only Gaelic
 Yes
 No


 Tiree High
 Only Gaelic
 Yes
 No


 Tobermory High
 Only Gaelic
 Yes
 Yes


 Grange Academy
 Other subjects
 Yes
 Yes


 Bishopbriggs Academy
 Only Gaelic
 No
 Yes


 James Gillespie’s High
 Only Gaelic
 Yes
 Yes


 Back
 Only Gaelic
 No
 No


 Castlebay
 Other subjects
 Yes
 Yes


 Daliburgh
 Only Gaelic
 No
 No


 Lionel Secondary
 Only Gaelic
 No
 No


 Nicolson Institute, The
 Other subjects
 Yes
 Yes


 Paible
 Only Gaelic
 No
 No


 Sgoil Lionacleit
 Other subjects
 Yes
 Yes


 Shawbost
 Other subjects
 No
 No


 Sir E Scott
 Only Gaelic
 Yes
 Yes


 Glasgow Gaelic Secondary
 Other subjects
 Yes
 No


 Hillpark Secondary
 Other subjects
 Yes
 Yes


 Ardnamurchan High
 Other subjects
 Yes
 Yes


 Dingwall Academy
 Other subjects
 Yes
 Yes


 Farr High
 Other subjects
 No
 No


 Fortrose Academy
 Other subjects
 No
 No


 Gairloch High
 Only Gaelic
 No
 Yes


 Inverness Royal Academy
 Other subjects
 No
 No


 Kingussie High
 Only Gaelic
 Yes
 Yes


 Lochaber High
 Only Gaelic
 Yes
 No


 Mallaig High
 Only Gaelic
 Yes
 Yes


 Millburn Academy
 Only Gaelic
 Yes
 Yes


 Plockton High
 Other subjects
 Yes
 Yes


 Portree High
 Other subjects
 Yes
 Yes


 Tain Royal Academy
 Other subjects
 Yes
 No


 Ullapool High
 Only Gaelic
 Yes
 Yes


 Greenock Academy
 Only Gaelic
 No
 No


 Greenfaulds High
 Other subjects
 Yes
 Yes


 Breadalbane Academy
 Only Gaelic
 No
 No


 Perth Academy
 Only Gaelic
 No
 No


 Calderglen High
 Only Gaelic
 Yes
 No


 St Modan’s High
 Other subjects
 No
 No


 Wallace High
 Only Gaelic
 Yes
 No



  Notes:

  1. Chareston Academy and Glen Urquhart High presented a small number of pupils for standard grade in Gaidhlig but did not provide Gaelic medium education.

  2. We do not know what subjects these schools teach we only know whether they teach only Gaelic through Gaelic (only Gaelic) or some or all subjects through Gaelic or bilingually (Other subjects).

  3. SCQF levels 3-5 include Access 3 cluster, Intermediate 1, intermediate 2, Standard Grade.

  4. SCQF levels 6 and 7 includes Higher and Advanced Higher Qualifications.

Procurement

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list all of its and its agencies’ data management contracts with a value of £10,000 or more per annum, showing the (a) company awarded the contract, (b) annual cost of the contract, (c) start and end dates of the contract and (d) location of the data centre providing the service.

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the data management contracts that it and its agencies have out to tender or planned, showing (a) the basic scope of the contract, (b) the start and end dates of the contract and (c) any specified limitation on the location of the data centre to be used to provide the service.

John Swinney: The Scottish Government has no existing or planned contracts classified as data management.

  The contracts and tendering plans of the Scottish Government’s agencies are not held centrally.

Procurement

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the grants or loans made for the construction or development of data centres in the last five years for which records are available, showing the (a) company receiving the grant or loan, (b) value, (c) government agency handling the grant or loan and (d) location of the data centre.

Jim Mather: Specific information on financial assistance to data centres is not collected. However, from scrutiny of published information on RSA grants made and accepted over the last five years and available on the RSA website, there has been one offer where the project activity specifically refers to provision of data centre services. The company involved was Onyx Group Limited who received £100,000 from Scottish Government and are located in Edinburgh.

Renewable Energy

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the Department of Energy and Climate Change in relation to the National Audit Office’s report, Government funding for developing renewable energy technologies .

Jim Mather: The Scottish Government has had no such discussions with the Department of Energy and Climate Change.

Renewable Energy

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will instigate an audit of all of its directorates charged with delivering government funding for renewable energy technologies in light of the National Audit Office’s report, Government funding for developing renewable energy technologies.

Jim Mather: There is no need for an audit of the Scottish Government’s funding for renewable energy technologies as renewables is a high priority policy area, with funding already being coordinated strategically under our plans for moving to a low carbon economy.

  In policy terms, we are joined up across the Scottish Government on cross cutting issues affecting renewables, such as on community benefits.

Renewable Energy

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has a policy to encourage the development of data centres powered by renewable energy sources and, if so, what the policy is.

Jim Mather: The Scottish Government’s commitment to renewable energy is one of the factors providing a strong incentive for the development of data centres in Scotland, while Scottish Planning Policy (SPP) states that building design will make a significant contribution to reducing emissions and that microgeneration and decentralised renewable energy systems will be aspects of reducing emissions.

Renewable Energy

Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what its response is to any concerns, including in the tourism sector, regarding the potential impact on businesses of any developments of offshore wind farms that will be visible from Machrihanish and Kintyre.

Jim Mather: In determining applications for offshore wind farms, Scottish ministers will give careful consideration to all material factors, including effects on tourism and local businesses. Scottish ministers will undertake a thorough consultation process as per due process and will take full account of responses from consultees and public representations.

Respite Care

Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many residential respite care beds there have been in each year since 2007.

Shona Robison: There are nearly 44,000 registered Care Home places in Scotland (March 2009 Scottish Care Homes Census), but no information is gathered on how many of these places are registered as respite care beds.

  The following table shows the number of overnight respite and daytime respite purchased or provided by Scottish Local Authorities each year since 2007.

  Respite Provided or Purchased by Local authorities in Scotland.

  

 
 2006-07
 2007-08
 2008-09


 Overnight - respite weeks
63,590
62,900
62,810


 Daytime - respite weeks
100,050
109,980
111,230


 Total – respite weeks
163,640
172,880
174,030



  Source: Respite Care, Scotland 2009 (Final Figures).

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2010/02/22113516/0.

Rural Development

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any payments under the current funding round of the Skills Development Scheme have been delayed and, if so, (a) how many, (b) for what reason, (c) what the total value is of such payments, (d) what action is being taken to allow the payments to be made and (e) when those awaiting payments can expect to receive them.

Richard Lochhead: No such payments have been delayed.

Rural Development

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any payments under the current funding round of the Less Favoured Area Support Scheme have been delayed and, if so, (a) how many, (b) for what reason, (c) what the total value is of such payments, (d) what action is being taken to allow the payments to be made and (e) when those awaiting payments can expect to receive them.

Richard Lochhead: There are no delayed payments under the 2009 round of the Less Favoured Area Support Scheme payments.

Rural Development

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any payments under the current funding round of the Food Processing, Marketing and Co-operation Grant Scheme have been delayed and, if so, (a) how many, (b) for what reason, (c) what the total value is of such payments, (d) what action is being taken to allow the payments to be made and (e) when those awaiting payments can expect to receive them.

Richard Lochhead: There have been no delays to payments in the current round of Food Processing, Marketing and Co-operation grant applications.

Rural Development

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any payments under the current funding round of the Crofting Counties Agricultural Grant Scheme have been delayed and, if so, (a) how many, (b) for what reason, (c) what the total value is of such payments, (d) what action is being taken to allow the payments to be made and (e) when those awaiting payments can expect to receive them.

Richard Lochhead: There are no delayed payments under the Crofting Counties Agricultural Grants Scheme.